National Service News: Thanks, Mom, for Being an Inspiration

AmeriCorps sent this bulletin at 05/09/2017 05:17 PM EDT

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Michael Cobb and Linda Meadows are a mother and son duo who both serve with Reading Partners AmeriCorps program in Baltimore, MD.


Thanks, Mom, for Being an Inspiration

We learned a lot from our moms. More often than not, mothers encouraged the spirit to serve that many of us have in our own lives. We even see Mom’s inspiration when we look at our AmeriCorps and Senior Corps pledges, because her fingerprints are all over them. 

Mom made sure we were safe (“Put on your seat belt.”), kept up with our studies (“Did you finish your homework?”), and did everything they could to keep us healthy (“Eat your veggies.”).

She encouraged us to take action (“Get off the couch and go outside.”), seek common ground in conflicts (“Tell her you’re sorry. Do it now.”), and taught us to persevere when we wanted to quit (“Keep trying. I know you can do it!”).

Best of all, Moms can be inspirations for us throughout our lives – demonstrating how to care for friends, neighbors, and the communities where we live.

Here’s an example. Pictured above are Michael Cobb and Linda Meadows, a mother and son duo who both serve with the Reading Partners AmeriCorps program in Baltimore, MD.

Guess what? Linda's service inspired Michael to join.

Linda volunteers to tutor students at the Cherry Hill Elementary library in south Baltimore because, as she explained to Forbes, “I like to encourage young people. They need to be told they can do it.” (This is the place where we say, “We told you so.”)

She recruited her son to join AmeriCorps and Reading Partners when he moved to Maryland from Connecticut. Michael is now the Reading Partners volunteer coordinator at the Furman L. Templeton Preparatory Academy, a charter elementary school in west Baltimore. 

National service inspires more national service, especially when you have programs with histories that go back 20, 40, even 50 years. These things are bound to happen – and we are happy that their examples help us tap into our better selves.

As we approach Mother’s Day, we say thanks to all the national service moms who have embraced the legacy of service by joining AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, or by supporting our volunteers. And to all the moms out there, whether they are around the corner or with us in spirit, thank you for everything you’ve done to get us where we are today.

Thank you for being our inspiration.

In service, 

CNCS Office of External Affairs

P.S. Next week is Senior Corps Week! Follow our social media channels on Twitter and Facebook to join the celebration.

The Impact of National Service

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Elsie Brenkworth doesn’t like people telling her what to do. So when her daughter who lives in Maryland lined up someone to visit the 93-year-old weekly at her home here, Brenkworth resisted. Volunteer companion Mary McCormack, 64, admits it was a stumbling start for the two. “At first, she tried to get rid of me,” McCormack laughed, “so we did have some weeks when we didn’t get together.” Now, their friendship is humming along, with a two- to three-hour visit every Tuesday. Brenkworth is among a growing number of seniors in the state who live alone. In fact, North Dakota tops all states in the percentage of seniors living solo, a situation that for some means a day-to-day feeling of deep isolation.

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